Château Canon 2005

There's loads of new wood in this red, with ripe berry character underneath. Medium- to full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a vanilla finish. A bit too much wood for my taste, but this is attractive. Best after 2009.

Aromas of fresh cep mushrooms, berries, spices, roses, and sous bois give way to hints of milk chocolate and vanilla. Full and rich, with beautifully balanced tannins and a long finish. There’s a lot going on in this wine, yet it remains subtle and beautiful. This needs time. Pull the cork after 2015.

A relatively discreet nose initially that developed into something heady. It was followed by a fresh, savoury, silky palate. Much gentler-textured than the Gazin 2005 served alongside. Complete. (JR)

The 2005 Canon is all brawn and muscle. Chunky tannins give the 2005 a decidedly virile feel. There is plenty of depth and freshness—this is, after all, one of the very best sites in all of Bordeaux—so the 2005 will hold for many years to come. Dark fruit, leather, smoke, gravel, crushed rocks and spice linger on the potent finish. Tasting the 2005 today really highlights how far Canon has come in recent years.

Interestingly, every time I have tasted this wine, the score keeps ratcheting up. Not quite mature, but close, here you find notes of flowers, licorice, crushed rocks, salt, and a melange of red fruits with a gentle touch of fennel in the perfume. Medium-bodied, elegant, vibrant, silky, and refined, the wine finishes with earthy, ripe, sweet red fruits, salty tannins, and soft textures. This is showing quite well now and it will be even better with a bit more time.

Just now starting to come out of its shell, the 2005 Château Canon is a blockbuster of a Canon that has so much to love. Ripe blackcurrants, darker cherries, graphite, and scorched earth notes all define the aromatics (it needs air to show at its best), and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness backed by a stacked mid-palate, building, ripe, polished tannins, and incredible length on the finish. It’s clearly in the early stages of its prime drinking window yet is going to evolve gracefully over the coming two decades in cold cellars. It doesn’t have the sheer precision of modern-day Canon releases, but it brings more opulence and oomph. It's a brilliant bottle of wine.

Deep dark garnet, fine rim on the outside. Intense ruby-garnet, purple edge. Spicy bouquet, plum note, fig seeds, touch of licorice. Juicy, finely racy palate, lots of blackberry, silky tannins, graceful, very charming, medium push on the finish, enjoyable already early.

Deep dark garnet, fine rim on the outside. Intense ruby-garnet, purple rim. Spicy bouquet, plum note, fig seeds, touch of licorice. Juicy, finely racy palate, lots of blackberry, smooth tannins, a graceful wine with plenty of charm, medium push on the finish. Will deliver pleasure early. 07: ripe red cherries, the fruit quite sweet with a jammy sheen, shows pronounced vanilla notes. Burgundian palate, focused on elegance with medium drive.

Restrained, fruity, mineral bouquet with blue berries and plums. Fruity, velvety, sweet, ripe palate with soft fruit, good tannins, fine astringency, silky structure. Long, aromatic finish with good after-aromas. 17/20 2010 - 2022

Gorgeous limestone typicity, salinity, gentle raspberry and redcurrant, blond tobacco. You see the difference in precision between this vintage and more recent years, but it's hard to complain about the gentle pleasures of autumnal fruits along with orange peel, black truffle, fennel and oyster shell. Tasted twice in the last few months, and again last summer, just a totally gorgeous wine that is blossoming. Savour its brilliance. Harvest September 20 to 28, pH 3.55. 60% new oak. Yield of 35 hl/ha.

The 2005 Canon is deep garnet-brick in color. It needs a lot of swirling to uncover notes of stewed black cherries, mulberries, and boysenberry preserves, plus wafts of rose oil, cloves, and unsmoked cigars. The medium- to full-bodied palate is still very youthful, with a firm backbone of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness framing the muscular fruit, finishing long and mineral-laced. This is nice now with a long decant, or cellar for another 20 years!

Deep color without opacity, very pure fruit, great distinction of flavor, racy length. Brilliant, suave, and deep.

Beautiful dark color, slightly evolved. Fine, subtle nose, fruity with a hint of truffle. Dense, fruity, creamy palate that develops into a fairly rich and powerful finish. Very long length, quite aromatic. There is real wine in this bottle.

Just hinting at maturity, this rich and stylish wine features finely balanced tannins, a juicy blackberry flavor and fruity ripeness. Using fruit sourced from the small appellation of Canon-Fronsac, on the hill close to Saint-Émilion, this wine is ready to drink and is full of flavor, with concentration on the finish.